Databases play a vital role in the modern enterprise, but when it comes to database administration there is often simply not enough work to justify hiring a full time employee. This was the situation at the Managed Application Division of Saab Grintek Technologies (Saab Grintek), a company that specialises in integrated, comprehensive, leading edge telecommunications solutions, which needed Oracle database administration and other specialised services. The company required the services of a specialised Database Administrator (DBA) yet could not justify bringing a full time employee onboard.

The telecommunications service provider turned to experts RDB Consulting to provide outsourced DBA services and other specialised services from an experienced and knowledgeable team, which could provide the skills the company needed as and when they were necessary.

RDB Consulting has a solid reputation in the market and as an Oracle Platinum Parnter, outsourcing the database administration to them was the logical choice. The service with RDB Consulting involves purchasing a number of consulting hours per annum, which Saab Grintek can then use for whichever skills they need, from database administration, to operating system consulting, monitoring, licensing and the provision of Oracle hardware.

Says Jai Perumal, General Manager for the Managed Application Division at Saab Grintek: “This flexible offering was one of the reasons we chose RDB Consulting, and it has been a relationship that has worked extremely well for us. The quality of service has been excellent, the people we have worked with from RDB have been highly competent and the company’s sound business principles and work ethic give us a sense of security about working with them.”

“The challenge for us is that we are a small team and sometimes we do not have the skills and resources necessary to address issues and tackle problems. This is where RDB has been invaluable as the consultants step in and help out wherever they are needed. They have an intricate understanding of our database environment and share information with internal staff, so the skills transfer offers us extra value on their services,” he adds.

Saab Grintek originally signed a one year contract to support the Oracle environment, which was renewed for a further 18 months on maturity as the company realised the value of the services provided.

Khanyisile Vilikazi, consultant at RDB Consulting who works with Saab Grintek, explains: “Saab Grinktek require a proactive consulting service, attending to their Oracle data base support and maintenance requirements and averting disasters. This is possible due to RDB Consulting’s team of 26 consultants of which two are allocated as primary and secondary consultants to Saab Grintek. This means there is always somebody available with the required skills as well as senior resources.”

Aside from the levels of service, it is the proactivity of the team at RDB Consulting that has impressed Saab Grintek the most. The team actively searches out issues and potential glitches within the database and solves them in short order before they can become problems.

“Since we took on the skills from RDB we have had zero downtime on our database, and the people have integrated into our company and its culture seamlessly, working closely with the in-house technical team to keep everything running smoothly,” says Perumal.

“As an Oracle Platinum Partner it is our job to ensure that industry standards are adhered to and best practices implemented, so being proactive is part of the modus operandi at RDB Consulting. We strive to provide maximum uptime as part of our value added service,” Jaroslav Cerny, CEO of RDB Consulting, adds.